The Four Times, and That One Time
by No Hassle Castle
Summary: The four times Kate left Castle when she needed to, and the one time she stayed anyway. Now complete!
1. Chapter 1

Title: The Four Times, and That One Time

Pairing: Castle/Beckett

Rating: K+, I think.

Summary: The four times Kate left Castle when she needed to, and the one time she stayed anyway.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. All I have is my blog and a Sherlock DVD.

Oh quick side-note. Thank you to the very first review-er of my first Castle fanfic. She/He told me to avoid using First Person Perspective, and—I guess as somebody who should take constructive criticism—I gave it a shot. I'm not really used to third person, but here it is.

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1.

The ticking of Castle's keyboard keys secretly comforts her. She never told him that, but sitting in his study with a book from his collection was something she always looked forward to on a daily basis.

_Tack, tack, tack._ She paused her reading and closed her eyes, just listening, with a goofy grin on her face. But after a few beats passed, the ticking stopped altogether. Kate opened her eyes slowly, the smile on her face still in tact.

"Why are you smiling at me like that?" Castle said, feigning annoyance.

Kate shook her head, and looked down at her book. "Nothing."

"That's not nothing," he said, smirking. "What is it?"

She looked up and flashed him her teeth, shutting her book. "I like it when you type like that."

"Like what?"

"You know, when you," she said. She set her hands on an invisible keyboard and moved her fingers across it furiously, "type continuously, like you've got this single train of thought. I like the way it sounds."

"What, like this?" Rick ran his fingers across the keys, button-mashing. Kate chuckled from her seat.

"Yeah, sure, like that," she replied, nodding and resuming her reading.

If someone would tell her that she would one day sit on Richard Castle's couch, listening to him type on his laptop, writing a novel wherein she served as a muse in, she would have slapped him—or her—in across the face and tell him he's a liar. But here she sat.

She heard Castle's laptop click to a close, and he sighed. "So."

"So," she mimicked, closing her book and putting it down. "You wanna go to bed?"

He got up from his chair and walked—sauntered, more like—to her. "I've missed you, Kate."

"How could you miss me? We see each other all time," she said, winding her arms around Rick's neck and pulling him down onto the couch.

"I have to not see you to miss you?" he said, snaking his arm around her waist and pulling her against him. He buried his face in the crook of Kate's neck and planted a kiss in her hair. "I just miss you."

Kate pushed him lightly off her, and looked him in the eye. "I miss you too, Rick," she said before kissing him chastely.

The myriad of chaste kisses turned into passionate ones. His lips felt suddenly urgent on hers, his hands setting on her hips. Kate straddled him quickly; littering kisses everywhere her eyes could find.

When Rick planted a kiss on her scar, she gasped. She never really did get used to it—him kissing her there, that is. His hands tightened around her hips, steadily starting to gyrate her against him. Kate gasps again.

A vibration of a mobile shattered across the room. Kate hadn't realized her eyes were screwed tight until she had to unwind them. Castle groaned in frustration, stroking smooth circles on Beckett's hips as she settled on his lap.

"You don't have to get it," he said, kissing her lightly on her neck, her jaw, her lips.

"Rick, I'm a cop; I can't just not get it," she said.

Kate brushed the hair out of her face and reached for her cellular on the table. Castle sighed and ran a hand through his locks.

"Beckett," Kate almost-hissed into the phone.

"Yo, we got a—Oh, is this a bad time?" Esposito said dryly.

Kate patted Castle's face, giving him an apologetic smile. "What do we got?"

"Body. A fresh one. I'll text you the address."

"Alright, I'll be there in a second."

"Fine, I'll see you—And say hi to Rick for me. Sorry to interrupt your evening," he said mockingly.

"Shut up, Javi," Kate retorted before hanging up.

She turned to Rick to see him frowning at her. She kissed his bottom lip playfully.

"Do you really have to go?" Rick said, giving her another pout.

"Unfortunately," she said, getting off him. "I promise, we will resume."

Castle laughed, standing. He wrapped his arms around her again, kissing her forehead. "Stay safe, please?"

"I will," she replied, leaning into his kiss. "You could come, you know."

"Why would I want to follow you around, when you come home to me anyway?" he said with a grin.

Kate swatted his arm teasingly. "Oh, I don't know, maybe because you want to be around the woman you love all the time?"

Rick kissed her one last time before escorting her to the door, and bidding his temporary goodbyes.

He'll never get used to it, the whole "my girlfriend's about to catch a killer and I'm just sitting here" feeling. He knew he could come, but he was also aware of how she secretly didn't want him to. Enough about her possibly getting shot, just don't get started on Rick getting in the line of danger. His girlfriend… protecting _him. _

His little frisky detective.

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Well, there's chapter one. :-) Ridiculously short. The other will get longer. There will be a maximum of 6 chapters. This is my first mutli-chapter fic, even if it consists of numerous one-shots. Thank you for reading, cheers!

I will be updating daily. So come back tomorrow! (hopefully)


	2. Chapter 2 reupload

Title: The Four Times, and That One Time

Pairing: Castle/Beckett

Rating: K+, I think.

Summary: The four times Kate left Castle when she needed to, and the one night she stayed anyway.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. All I have is my blog and a Sherlock DVD.

Thanks for coming back, those who read the last chapter. It's already "tomorrow" where I'm from, so here's chapter two yey!

**Changed a couple of words. Thank you, Bones35! :)**

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2.

Castle paced in front of his bedroom door for what felt like the thousandth time. He fought the urge to look at his watch, knowing that the change in time wasn't enough to satisfy him.

"Alexis," he said through the door. "We have to go."

It's her grandmother's birthday, and she hasn't even got the urgency to move faster. Teenagers.

"Give me one more second, Dad, just wait," she replied.

Kate and Martha were out the whole day, getting pampered for Martha's birthday dinner. Normally, they wouldn't celebrate her birthday because Martha stopped aging at twenty-five, but today, they didn't really go with that. It was her sixty-fifth.

"Alexis—" Castle started, but she had already opened the door.

"Okay, let's go, waiting on you now," Alexis said, bounding down the stairs already. Castle shook his head with a smile on his face, following after her.

~:~:~

"What took you so long?" Martha said, kissing both her son's cheeks. They were at the new hip (that's the term that Rick forced to use repeatedly) new restaurant near the loft.

Martha's hair was specially flaming under the light, her entire get-up completely perfected for dinner. If Castle were to rely on somebody to outdo a look for an intimate dinner, it would be his mother.

That's another thought that Kate secretly flushed at. "Intimate dinner". She and Castle have been dating for a little less than a year, and it still caught her off-guard knowing that she is a main part of his life now—Not that she wasn't before, being his muse, but it was different now.

"Alexis took too long," Castle said, throwing a mock scowl at his daughter. "Happy Birthday, mother."

The two girls hugged, gushing about each other.

Castle smiled at them briefly, before his eyes diverted to the most remarkable sight he's seen all-night: his girlfriend dressed in a black dress, short enough for him to see those legs that went on for days.

"Kate," he breathed. His hands found their way onto her waist, drawing her in for a kiss.

"Castle," she mumbled happily. "How was your day?"

"Terribly long, especially now that my partner is off-duty," he said, pouting.

Castle has been tagging along with Kate again lately, against much of Kate's protests. The truth is that she wants him around all the time… Not just for drawing theories, and making her smile like a schoolgirl when he makes the wildest ones, but also for the action, the storming of abandoned apartments, the braving of hellish situations. It comforted her that he was always around, even if it killed her over and over knowing that he was in the line of danger with her every step they made.

"How was your day with my mother?" Castle asked, taking her hand as they walked through the restaurant to their table, following Alexis and Martha.

"It was good," she responded, tucking hair behind her ear. "We really got to bond. It was really, really good."

"Uh-oh," he said, stopping to look at her intently. "What did she tell you."

Kate laughed. "Nothing wrong," she defended. "Why are you so defensive? Are you hiding something from me?"

Castle snorted. "No," he blurted. "Of course not, what are you talking about? Why, did she say anything?" She rolled her eyes at him, and walked ahead.

When they reached the table, Castle pulled his mother's chair out, so as his daughter's, and lastly his girlfriend's. Like a proper gentleman. Beckett couldn't help but grin at him.

"No, seriously, what did she tell you?" Castle said, ducking his head close to hers.

Part of why he's so concerned with what Martha could have told Kate, was because Martha was the only person who knew about what Rick had just purchased a few days prior, hiding in the safe in his office. Not that he should worry, because he'd have it tucked away for another year, probably. Better prepared than anything, really.

Okay, fine, maybe that was the entire reason why he's so concerned. Kate finding out would be the worst-case scenario.

Beckett looked at Castle in the eye, and sighed. "She's just happy for us, Castle," she said, gripping his hand under the table. "She was just happy we made it so far, okay? She didn't think we'd get together at all, let alone stay together for almost a year. There, now stop freaking out."

Castle smiled and gripped back. "Well, that's great, then," he said. "And I'm not freaking out."

The appetizers, the courses and the desserts have come and gone, and Castle, Alexis, Martha and Kate still sat around the table, soaking up the moments of unguarded affection they all had for each other.

"Okay, listen to his joke," Castle said, clearing his throat. "You have to get ready for it because it's funny, and I'm a funny guy."

"Just get on with it, Castle," Kate said, pursing his lips at him.

"Okay, are you ready?" he said, looking around the table with an expectant look in his eyes. "What do you call… a nosy pepper?"

"I already know this one, Dad; it's not even funny," Alexis said, giving a chuckle nonetheless.

A smile played along Beckett's lips before saying, "What?"

"Jalapeño, because it's jalapeño business!"

The table was quiet for a moment as Castle's expression changed from triumphant to desolate… until Martha burst into laughter, clapping her hands along. Kate and Alexis followed after, leaving Castle shame-faced and disgruntled.

"Oh, Richard, that joke is terrible," she said. "But thank you for the meek effort."

"Just…" Kate started, trying to catch her breath, "you thought it was the best joke ever."

"It is!" Rick pleaded.

Kate's phone began blinking, Ryan's face flashing on it. Her face fell. "I have to take this," she said, scratching her eyebrow.

"Who is it?" Castle asked, taking a peek onto her screen.

"Kevin," she said before answering the phone with a harsh, "Beckett."

Martha directed her attention on anything but Kate, as the latter turned away from the table and took the call.

"I'm off-duty today, Kev," she said. Castle frowned, attempting to keep conversation as less awkward as he could with his mother. "I really can't right now. You boys can handle it—Why does Gates need _me_? I requested this day especially for other things; I can't show up right now. I'm—"

"Please, Kate," Martha said with a reassuring smile. Beckett looked up, meeting her eyes. "Go save the city. We'll be fine."

She bit her lip for a moment, then huffed, "Fine, I'll be there in ten," clicking her phone shut.

"I'm so sorry," Kate said, standing up to go by her boyfriend's mother.

"No need to be sorry, darling," Martha responded, giving her a quick hug. "Someone out there needs you more than we do."

Kate smiled at her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Happy birthday, Martha," she said. She leaned down to give Alexis a brief hug as well, saying, "I really am sorry. I'll see you tomorrow."

Rick got on his feet, and escorted her to the entrance of the restaurant, his hand on the small of her back.

"Castle—" Before she could get a second word in, he had caught her lips in his, his fingers holding her neck to him. But when they broke apart, the same broken expression graced Beckett's face. "I don't have to go."

"Yes, you do," he said, stroking her arms. "I'll just pay for the bill and we can go."

"No, Castle, this is your mom's birthday. You stay behind."

Castle held her gaze a second longer, before nodding in defeat. "Please be safe."

"Always."

He watched her walk out into the night, already pulling out her badge and handgun out of her purse.

Castle never liked goodbyes, really.

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Yey! Ha, I liked writing this one. I don't know why. Thank you to one of my best friends Gela (who will probably never see this) for the Jalapeño joke.

Reviews are always appreciated, cheers!


	3. Chapter 3

Title: The Four Times, and That One Time

Pairing: Castle/Beckett

Rating: K+, I think.

Summary: The four times Kate left Castle when she needed to, and the one night she stayed anyway.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. All I have is my blog and a Sherlock DVD.

WARNING: There are a few profanities in this one so, I'm sorry if you're uncomfortable with the language. I'm feeling slightly evil with this one. And, I don't know if any of you are awake right now, but it's 5 in the afternoon here in the MNL. Ha, okay.

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3.

She could hear the yelling from her room. She tried to ignore it, she really did, but it wasn't even about her anymore. She hated this part—the part she didn't even know was coming for his dad and his girlfriend.

They were fighting.

Alexis shut her door a few minutes into the screaming with an eye roll, because knowing her dad: those "screams" must've been good ones. But then the actual back-and-forth exchange of anger started, and she knew it was different.

She slowly opened the door, and tiptoed down the stairs. The door to her father's office was slightly ajar, making their voice seep through just enough for her to hear.

"I don't care, Rick!" Kate yelled. "You're being unreasonable!"

"Explain to me why I'm unreasonable, Beckett! Tell me why what you did wasn't wrong!"

"Because you're supposed to trust me! You're supposed to trust that I won't do anything that would endanger what we have! Why can't you understand that!"

"I trust you; I don't trust him!"

Alexis was lost. She sunk down to the ground, hugging her knees to her chest, her back to the jamb.

"Oh my God, don't get started with that!" she heard Beckett groan in frustration. "I don't care if you don't trust him! Do you seriously think that I would even _let_ him do that? Do you not respect the man enough to accept that doesn't want that kind of thing anymore? That he is genuinely happy for me? Or is that too much for you to do?"

"What do you expect? He's your ex-boyfriend! You didn't really break-up quite healthily with him last time I checked. And wait, isn't he the same asshole who tried to pick a fight with me when I tried to save your life?"

"You're being melodramatic, Castle! That was more than two years ago! And he successfully saved my life, as I would recall!"

"Oh, so you're on his side? Then why don't you just go back to him? It wasn't so hard to 'grab a bite' and 'catch up' earlier today, was it?"

"I'm not on his side—Shut up, Castle. I shouldn't even be explaining myself. You're the one with the publicist for an ex-wife; you don't think I'm insecure whenever I see you with her? I'm not the one who has a deep-fried Twinkie of an ex either!"

"You're bringing my ex-wives into this? Really, Kate?"

"You don't have to right to get mad at me, okay. Do you hear me? Josh and I used to be friends. What, I'm not allowed to have friends anymore, Rick? Are you supposed to be the only man in my life now? Do you want me to tell Ryan and Esposito to piss off too?"

"You know I didn't mean that," she heard her father reply, anger still laced in his words. "You could have told me you were skipping lunch at the precinct, when you left so abruptly when you were running errands. And you shouldn't have lied to me when I asked what took you so long!"

"I knew what you'd think! You see, Castle! This is _exactly _why I didn't tell you about running into Josh! You're always so unreasonable!"

"Well, if I'm so _unreasonable, _then why don't you just go back to your perfect little goddamn motorcycling doctor ex-boyfriend!"

The silence that came after was deafening. Alexis released the shaky breath she didn't even knew she was holding. She felt a tear roll down her cheek as the sound of footsteps echoed through the adjoined rooms.

"Is that what you want?" Kate said, voice feeble, breaking. "Do you hate me that much right now?"

Castle exhaled audibly, and Alexis could imagine him running his fingers through his hair in exasperation. "I don't hate you… That's not what I want—"

"No, really, Castle, if that's what you _want, _I'll give it to you. You want me gone? I'll leave."

"I don't want you gone, Kate," he replied in a rush. "Why do you have to do that?"

"Do what."

"_That._ You make me feel like shit even if you know what you did was wrong."

Alexis couldn't help but be slightly disappointed in her father. Didn't he already know that nobody could win an argument with a woman? Or at least, one shouldn't even try, being fully aware of a woman's tenacity. And this woman wasn't just any woman; this woman was Detective Beckett, one of the strongest women—if not the strongest—that Alexis had ever met.

"You know what, Rick," Kate said, stifling a couple of sobs. "I think we need to spend some time apart. This… This is a problem. I can't have a relationship with someone who doesn't trust me."

Alexis smothered a gasp behind her hand, getting up onto her feet. The steps approached the door, and she sprinted to the stairwell, taking a seat on the topmost step. She could still see the office from where she sat.

Kate tossed a pillow and a blanket out the door and onto the sofa in the living room. Alexis caught sight of the detective's face, all flushed and tear-stained. She was still wearing her clothes from this morning.

"So _I'_m getting kicked out?" Castle said, glaring at her.

Beckett shot him a look and strode back into the room. The door clicked close, and her Dad sat on the couch with a heavy breath.

"Well, fuck," he mumbled.

Alexis doesn't know how long she sat on the stairs. She just watched her father, lying on the couch, failing at finding a comfortable position to sleep in. This would probably the first time they've had a serious fight, and it really did kill Alexis knowing it was so huge for them.

It was probably two in the morning when the office door opened, and Alexis lifted her head to see Detective Beckett dressed differently. She had her badge on, and her gun hitched on her hip.

As the detective passed the stairs, she warily looked up to meet the gaze of one Alexis Castle. A gasp caught in her throat as the awkwardness droned on and on before them.

"Alexis—"

"I heard everything," Alexis interrupted. "Why, Detective?"

"Alexis, this is an adult thing—"

"Screw that," she said, anger overriding within her. "My Dad loves you. Do you understand where he's coming from? Two failed marriages with high-maintenance, untrustworthy women. I love my mother, but I know what she did to my Dad. He's been hurt before, Detective, more times than I would like to witness—from women he thought would never. I didn't think you would be one of them yet again."

Beckett looked down at the ground in shame. "I'm sorry—"

"Save the apologies for Dad," Alexis said, rising to her feet, and taking off for her room.

It wasn't long before the front door locked with a muffled clack, signaling Detective Beckett's exit. Alexis could finally sleep.

* * *

I was really excited to do this. (Evil cackle) But um yes, this wouldn't take too long. Clearly. Because I hate angsty stuff. Sorry again for the language! Just this once. I apologise. Please, guys! Reviews are very much appreciated!


	4. Chapter 3 and a half

Title: The Four Times, and That One Time

Pairing: Castle/Beckett

Rating: K+, I think.

Summary: The four times Kate left Castle when she needed to, and the one night she stayed anyway.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. All I have is my blog and a Sherlock DVD.

No way in hell am I leaving that fight un-freaking-resolved. So, here's an extra chapter without any of the leaving thing. I'll add the real update in a bit. This'll be really short and quick. Still the same length as the others, but I really need to get it out of the way.

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3.(5)

To say she hated herself was an understatement. She was never one to worry about her self-esteem, so to say that she truly, truly hated herself was unusual; mostly because she didn't have time to hate herself as much as she did now.

She tried to stay out of his way when he was at the precinct today. After standing around a dead body and discussing the damages, they went to the 12th to start their investigation. None of the boys or her best friend even bothered to ask where Castle was; the state of her eyes spoke for her.

So it was much to her surprise when Castle showed up at the 12th with the two cups of coffee in his hands, one for himself and the other for her. He didn't say a word: just placed the cup on his table, and went to where Javi and Kevin were.

He went home earlier than the others, probably figuring out that the main reason why he was even around sort of hated him. Kate so disliked that he probably thought that. Hence, she genuinely couldn't find anybody who hated her more than herself at the moment.

She placed her keys slowly onto the coffee table, panning the room for any sign of him. She didn't even know why she was here; she felt stupid. She was the one who had said she couldn't be in a relationship with somebody she couldn't trust… and yet here she stood, and here she searched for him. She's beyond pathetic. But that was the last thing on her mind. She needed to find him, to apologise.

"Castle?" Kate called warily.

The silence that greeted her was discomforting…until the sound of his footsteps fled from the stairs, and his all-too familiar self came into view. Kate wanted to smile at him, tell him how happy she was to see him, but her pride got in the way. Stupid pride. Always the pride.

"Beckett, what do you want?" he said, descending the steps.

Kate breathed out heavily as the memory of their first night together rushed through her thoughts. He had said the exact same words.

"Would you still believe me if I said 'you'?" she said shyly through her eyelashes, head still hung in humiliation.

Castle halted in front of her, close enough for Kate to feel the heat coming off him. "Honestly? No."

Beckett swung her head up quickly, looking him in the eye. They were incredibly blue tonight. The only times they're that blue are when he's really happy, or entirely too livid for anybody's good.

"Rick, I'm sorry—"

"Sorry?" he said through tight lips. "Kate, do you understand the hell you put me through knowing that you hated me? Any idea at all?"

"Castle, I could never hate you," she said quietly, feeling the tears pool at her eyes. "How could you even say that? After all we've been through, I could never hate you."

Castle swallowed audibly. "You convinced me that you did last night."

Kate looked up, and took his collar into her hand, gently tugging it downwards but not enough to draw him closer to her.

"I was wrong, Castle," she said, letting the tears slip. "I'm a terrible person for saying that I couldn't be in a relationship with you when you're the only one. You'll always be the only one. Always.

"It literally makes me physically sick to think that I've hurt you so much again. I can't live with that pain, Rick. I just…" she paused, angrily wiping the wetness out of her eyes. "I love you too much now to walk away. I can't just leave. You're everything, Castle. I'm sorry about Josh, and everything that's got to with my stupid mistake. What I did was wrong, and I knew it was, and that makes me an even worse person. I didn't know why I even thought it would a good idea to 'catch up with him'. I was stupid, naïve, and reckless.

"I love you, Rick, and—"

He interrupted her with an urgent kiss, his hands looping around his waist and holding her against him.

"Shhhh, Kate," he said, laying her head on his shoulder. He rested his cheek at the top of her head, feeling the warmth of her breath through his shirt. "I know. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"I just—I just—" Kate sobbed, stuttering to get the words out. "I know that Josh isn't worth it. When people fight, they—they fix it. They don't th—throw it away. I'm so stupid, Castle."

"No, you're not," he said against her hair. "I should have trusted you. I shouldn't have been such a jerk, Kate. I should have trusted you. I should have trusted you."

They stood there for ages, just holding each other. It wasn't long before Castle let out a tired chuckle, arms tightening around her for one final time, holding her at arms length afterwards.

"You do know what this means, right?" he said, taking her hand and leading her to their room.

"What?"

"Make-up sex."

Kate rolled her eyes and closed the door behind them both.

* * *

The real chapter should be up in a bit. Reviews, please! :-( Very much welcome here, reviews. Cheers again!


	5. Chapter 4

Title: The Four Times, and That One Time

Pairing: Castle/Beckett

Rating: K+, I think.

Summary: The four times Kate left Castle when she needed to, and the one night she stayed anyway.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. All I have is my blog and a Sherlock DVD.

Something lighter, yes? Just realized how short these are. Um, okay. Cheers for coming back for another chapter! We're almost done here. Unfortunately. This is my most successful fanfic, turns out. Thank you for being part of it. (hearts)

* * *

4.

"Who do you think wears the pants in their relationship?" Ryan said, diverting his attention away from boring old paperwork.

"My money is on Beckett," Esposito whispered, slipping a twenty across the table. "She's too much woman for him, even if they are together. Bet on it."

"Oh, you're on," Ryan whispered back, bringing out a twenty and placing it next to the first.

"Hey, what are you guys doing?" Castle said, walking up from behind them.

Esposito took the money from the table and stuffed it into his drawer, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. The two detectives simultaneously looked up at Castle, nonchalant looks on their faces.

"Nothing, why?" Kevin said, raising an eyebrow.

"What are you betting on?" Castle said, intrigued, as he leaned his head closer to Esposito and Ryan.

"Nothing, man, we're not betting on anything," Javi responded, pretending to do paperwork. "Don't you have to be somewhere, Castle?"

"Is that how it is now?" he said, straightening up and smoothening out his suit. "I thought we were friends, _Ja-vi-er._"

"Calling me Javier doesn't make us friends, _Ri-chard_," Javi said. "Run along."

"C'mon, Kev," Castle said, nudging the second detective. "What was it? I want in on it."

"What are you talking about?" he said, spinning his chair around to face his own table. "Go…deduce with Beckett or something."

Castle pressed his lips into a tight line and rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine. Whatever. I don't care. You guys are so immature," he said, walking backwards to Beckett's table. "You're a bunch of losers, anyway. I hope neither of you win."

His back collided with something sold, and there was a stifled _umph. _

"Win what?" Beckett said as Castle turned around to face his girlfriend.

"I don't know," he answered. Kate quirked an eyebrow. "I really don't know this time. They won' tell me."

"It's killing you, isn't it?" Kate said, sitting at the edge of her table. "Now you know how I feel when you have little bets with your buddies over there."

"They are no buddies of mine," Castle said, feigning offense as he cast a glare at their direction. "No longer."

"Stop being such a baby, Castle," she said. "They're probably betting over something about us. Don't worry about it."

Rick looked at Kate swiftly, eyes bulging. "Why would you think that? Is that good thing that they're doing that?"

"Castle, they're a couple of bored detectives on a rainy day with no murders to solve. What did you expect? They're probably bored out of their minds. Speculating over their friends is the only entertainment they have."

Now that Kate has mentioned it, it occurred to Castle that it really has been a long day. It wasn't his first time to stay at the precinct while Beckett did all the paperwork she needed doing, but it didn't mean it wasn't stressful for him as well. Finding stuff to do at a precinct is a tiring job.

"When can we go, though?" he said, glancing at his watch. Seven-forty.

"You can do your share of paperwork for once," she said, grinning at him. "You're my partner when the interesting happens, but when it has something to do with the paperwork, I'm on a solo mission. I'd actually think you liked being exposed to all this material to work with."

"You thought wrong," Castle said with a sigh. "Sitting around all day? Not really my thing."

Kate rolled her eyes at him. "Castle, you're a writer."

He paused for a moment before pursing his lips and shrugging. "Good point," he said. "What do you think they're betting about?"

"I don't know but whatever it is—" she said, but stopped abruptly, to grab Castle's phone from behind her. "You have a call."

He took the phone from Beckett, and pressed it to his ear. "Hi, Alexis."

"Hey, Dad," his daughter said, voice apprehensive.

"What is it? What's happened?" he said, suddenly hyperaware of every sound at the end of the line. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Dad. I just wondered…" She exhaled heavily and resumed, "if I could talk to Detective Beckett?"

Castle face fell. "Why?" he said, turning to Beckett briefly. She had raised his eyebrows at him in question.

The fight that Kate and Rick had almost half a year ago was a thing of the past, albeit Alexis' long re-warming up process to Beckett. But all was well, once she found out about her father's plans, and once she reconciled with herself that this was really it for her father.

"Girl stuff," Alexis replied, snapping Castle out of his reverie.

"Don't you have Grams for that?" he said. He took Kate's wrist and pulled her off the edge of the table, taking her place and making her lean between his legs instead. "Why can't you just talk to me?"

"Because you're my dad, Dad," she said with a nervous laugh. "Please, can I talk to Detective Beckett?"

Castle moaned in annoyance and with a final "Fine", handed the phone to Beckett. "She wants to talk to you."

"Hello?" she spoke into the phone as soon as she retrieved it. "What is it, Alexis?"

"Do you promise not to tell my Dad?" she said in a rush. Kate pushed off from Castle, and paced in front of the murder board.

"Yeah, of course. What is it?"

"I need your help. Can you come over?"

Beckett was stunned. Her mouth hung open, eyebrows raised high. "Yes, I'll be right there."

"Thank you, Kate."

"Any time, Alexis," she said, smiling. She hung up and handed the phone back to Castle, his face in a state of shock.

"What was that?"

"I'm going home to help her out with something," she retorted, taking her jacket from behind her seat. "You stay here and do the paperwork for once. Don't come home until I tell you to. Understand, Castle?"

"Why does she need your help and not mine?" Castle whined with a pout.

Beckett gave him a quick peck on the lips, grinning against them. "It won't be long. See you."

Ryan and Esposito stood at either side of him as Beckett rid the elevator down and out of their sight.

"That's tough, bro," Esposito said. "Your daughter and your girlfriend forming an alliance and not telling what they're up to? You're in for some real trouble, Castle."

"You're not helping, Espo."

"Man, remember that one time Jenny and Beckett started talking all of a sudden because Jenny asked for 'help'? That didn't turn out so good."

Castle looked at Ryan, worry etched all over his face. "What happened?"

Ryan just shrugged, and walked back to his table.

"Really? You're not going to tell me?" he said, crossing his arms over his chest as he took his usual seat next to Beckett's table. "Fine! Be that way!"

Esposito laughed, back turned to their offended friend. "Oh, Castle's the girl, alright."

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Well, there's that. Ha, thanks so much for coming for Chapter 4, really. Um, reviews please! :-) Cheers! x


	6. Chapter 4 plus 1

Title: The Four Times, and That One Time

Pairing: Castle/Beckett

Rating: K+, I think.

Summary: The four times Kate left Castle when she needed to, and the one night she stayed anyway.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. All I have is my blog and a Sherlock DVD.

This is the final chapter. And it's the longest. I felt like it should be longer, but I don't know, this is it. LOL. Thank you for coming back for the final one, and for sticking with me. I was supposed to post it yesterday, but I had this internal debate whether or not I should just yet, because I was thinking of making a follow-up chapter for the Alexis/Kate interaction from the last chapter. Ended up not doing that... And, em, yeah. Read on! Cheers xo

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4 + 1.

Kate has been cold lately. And Rick didn't like it one bit. Alexis left a week ago for another semester at college, Martha was on a month-long fieldtrip-slash-performance tour with her acting school, and his girlfriend—the one person he was around 24/7—isn't even talking to him properly. Did he miss something?

They were on opposite ends of the couch. Castle was tapping away on his laptop, feet propped on the table. Kate had her legs folded beneath her as she read one of her oddly selected magazines.

Castle sighed audibly, and clicked his laptop shut. He leaned over to take a split-second peek at what Kate was reading, but before he could take a good look, she pressed it against her chest, obscuring his view completely.

Kate groaned under her breath. "What do you want, Rick?" she said through her teeth.

"What are you reading?" he said, testing the waters.

This is exactly what he meant. He'd just look over to what she was doing, and she'd flip. It gets tiring after a while, too.

"Oh, wouldn't you like to know, huh, Castle," she said, rolling her eyes. "I mean, why do you have to know everything I do? I'm not your property, Castle—God!"

She stood in frustration, stomping off to their bedroom and slamming the door shut behind her. Castle eyes drifted off, analyzing what the hell just happened.

He picked up the magazine warily, and flipped to where she dropped it. As he saw the catalogues in front of him, cold shot through his veins. A smile played across his lips, and the hair at the back of his head stood on end. So this is what it was all about? The anger? This was it? Oh, Kate, you could be so off base sometimes.

Kate was in their room, pacing back and forth in front of the bed. Okay, so maybe she knew she was being irrational. Maybe she knew that not telling Castle about why she's so mad was cruel. Knowing the guy… This kind of thing must be killing him.

But she couldn't blame herself for getting pissed either. Any girl would be pissed. She's been in a healthy and stable relationship with Richard Castle for nearly two years. Two years! That's longer than she's ever gone with anybody her entire life. I think Rick could pick up the fact that she was in it for the long haul, that he was her one and done. But no, she guessed he doesn't.

She didn't want to fight him, really. She never wanted things to end with Rick—which is truly why she's so epically vexed at her boyfriend. She didn't want to leave him, and she had no intentions of. After everything they've been through, she doubted he'd want to break it off for any reason. She wanted this for… well, _ever._

Kate picked up her phone, and dialed for Lanie.

"What did he do?" Lanie said in a lazy drawl, as soon as she picked up the phone.

Kate paused her pace, and pursed her lips. "How did you know?"

"I've known you long enough," she said matter-of-factly. "What's up?"

She ran her fingers through her hair angrily, and tugged on them. "I've been dropping hints everywhere. Everywhere! Why doesn't he just take the hint," she said, chewing on her bottom lip. "Every time we're alone, I just expect him to…just do it. But he doesn't do it. He just doesn't. Do you have any idea how frustrating that is? I've known him for, what? Six years? I've had the biggest crush on him for most of that—and even before we met, mind you—and in love with him for three. Oh, and let me see—I'VE BEEN WITH HIM FOR ALMOST TWO YEARS! How long does he want me to wait? Doesn't he get it?"

Lanie sighed. "Maybe you're expecting too much, Kate."

"How could I be expecting too much? I'm expecting just as much as I should! I'm just waiting for him. I shouldn't have to, Lanie. This is just getting tiring."

"Good things come to those who wait, Beckett. Just wait a bit more. You'll never know what he'd do next, so why think ahead of him?" she said. She was silent for a second before continuing. "Have you even talked about it?"

Kate sat on the bed, leaning on the headboard with her arm draped over her eyes. "Do you even need to talk about things like those? It's a given. You don't get into a relationship when you don't expect things to go anywhere. It's just so annoying that he's so oblivious."

"Kate, the guy is in love with you. Isn't that all you need for now?"

She pondered over it for a second, then huffed. "You're right," she said. "You're absolutely right."

"You good, Kate?"

"Yeah, I'm good," she said, palming her forehead. She laughed humourlessly and shook her head. "God, I'm a bitch."

"No, you're not," Lanie objected. "I get where you're coming from; totally acceptable."

"I have to apologize to him, don't I—Lanie, sorry, I have to go," she said in a rush as the door creaked open. "I'll call you later."

She didn't get to say goodbye; just ending the call and tossing her phone on Rick's pillow. Kate flipped onto her stomach and buried her face in the cushions.

"Kate?" Rick called, making his way to where she lay. She felt his weight on the side of the bed; she could feel the heat coming off him. "Is everything all right?"

She turned around, wiping to angry tears from her eyes on the cushion. She sniffled as she sat up. "Everything's fine, Castle," she said, hugging her knees to her chest.

Castle took her hands into his larger ones, staring at them. "Kate, if there's anything wrong, if there's anything I've done to upset you so much, please, please forgive me."

"You didn't do anything wrong, Castle. I'm a bitch, that's all."

Rick kissed her knuckles gently. "You're not a bitch, Kate," he said, "far from it. So you're just a little most irritable lately. That doesn't make you a bitch. Don't call yourself that."

"It's true!" she protested. "I don't even know why I stormed out of there, and just—" She stopped, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to forgive," he said. Castle kissed her forehead lightly, hand stroking her hair. "You've just been so tense, hon."

Kate laughed tiredly, cupping his face. "I know, I know, I'm sorry," she said. "I've been on edge lately. You didn't… You didn't deserve to be the receiving end of that."

Castle jumped onto his side of the bed, earning an amused chuckle from Kate.

So maybe she's frustrated, maybe she's been waiting a little longer than she'd thought, but she wouldn't stop waiting for anything. She'd wait for him, like how he waited for her for four years. She was being unreasonable. She smiled to herself as she watched Rick turn onto his side to face her, watch her.

"What?"

Castle shrugged, a sly grin on his face. "Nothing."

Kate, Kate, Kate, so obtuse. If only she'd known what was sitting in his safe next door.

~:~:~

"Good morning," an alluring voice hummed into Kate's ear. The sun was warm on her back, and the cool blanket strewn across the lower half of her body felt delicious on her skin.

"Good morning," she hummed back, reaching aimlessly to wear his voice came from. Eyes still closed, she grabbed him by the neck, and drew him down to place a kiss on his lips. "What are you doing up?"

She slowly opened her eyes to see Castle in his Green Lantern shirt and boxer shorts. "Made you breakfast," he said, taking her hand to yank her up to her feet. "Get dressed; up you get."

"But it's Sunday," she groaned, pressing her back harder against the mattress. "What about _you _get undressed and get back into bed?"

Castle shook his head. "Nuh-uh, Kate," he said, winding his arm around her center, and pulling her up softly. Kate yelped, knowing she'd be hoisted onto his shoulder in seconds. "I made you breakfast."

And just then, he lifted her up onto his shoulder, and Kate screamed in girlish delight. The blanket remained draped over her back, and she hugged it to her front, all the while assaulting Castle with feeble punches on his back.

"Put me down!" she cried. "Castle!"

He let her slide off him, blanket still clutched to her chest. She looked like a goddess, with the sheet hanging off her like that, cascading down her soft curves like waterfalls. Castle admired her for a second. God, her body was his wonderland.

They were at the kitchen counter now, the food laid out on it. Castle pushed the pancakes off the pan and onto her plate; a triumphant beam across is face.

Kate was settling onto the seat, making a move for the fork, when Castle bounded to her side, covering her eyes with his hands.

"Castle," she breathed, trying to pry his fingers off. "I want to eat my breakfast."

He struggled to cover both her eyes with just one hand, as he fidgeted endlessly. "Give me a sec," he retorted. He fiddled a bit more before placing his other hand back. "Okay, eat."

Castle let her go, slowly walking to the other end of the counter, waiting for her reaction. She reached for the fork, and the knife nonchalantly. Rick chewed his inner cheek, until—

Her breath caught in her throat, and a gasp managed its way passed her lips. Kate's eyebrows shot up, the edges of her lips tugging upwards almost involuntarily. She covered her mouth with her hand, attempting to stifle all the butterflies coming out as giggles. Her chest gave a squeeze, leaping to her throat. She couldn't say a thing. Not one thing could ever escape, nor a thought could ever filter.

Sitting in front of her usual plate (completely nothing out of the ordinary), was an opened black velvet box, revealing the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. Princess cut with a devastating amount of carats she honestly didn't want to think about by the looks of it, was buried into the cushion on a silver band.

Kate opened her mouth to say something, but nothing would come out. Rick eased the ring out of its place, and held it in front of her.

"Katherine Beckett," he said, striving to keep his voice steady. He couldn't help but laugh, seeing the tears pool at her eyes. He was so entirely happy that the laughter bubbled out of him, "Katherine, Katherine, Katherine."

"Castle."

"I had a speech planned in my head this morning, but I really couldn't remember what it was. God, you're so beautiful right now. There's nothing more that I would want more than having you everyday for the rest of my life. Seeing you this way, in nothing but a"—another giggle made its way through his lips—"sheet, about to promise me yourself in every way possible… God, Kate, nothing would compare. Because it couldn't get any better than this… You and me, any day."

He dropped down to one knee, earning himself another gasp from his girlfriend.

"Kate," he said, smiling from ear-to-ear now, "will you please, _please_, marry me?"

Kate nodded, not capable of any words. Rick stood up, slipping the ring onto her fourth finger, and engulfing her in his embrace.

"Yes," she finally said, voice muffled against his shoulder. "Oh, God, Castle, _yes. _Freaking yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, _yes, yes, _yes!"

Rick laughed again, pulling her head back to look at her directly in the eye. "We're getting married?" he asked in disbelief.

"We're getting married," she said, tears still streaming down her face.

Rick caught her lips in a searing kiss, wanting to savour _this._ He tasted the saltiness of her tears of joy, his lips doing the things his mouth so wanted to say, but had no words to. You'd actually think he'd think of something by now, being a writer, but his heart, his mind, his soul, was no longer his. It was Katherine Beckett's and it will be for as long as they both shall live… unofficially.

They broke apart, their faces breaking into the happiest, brightest grins they could muster.

And when Kate's phone rang, she couldn't even bring herself to get pissed. The moment was still theirs, completely.

"Beckett—"

"I think you could handle this one on your own," she said into the phone, eyes still locked on her… fiancé's.

She turned her phone off, and set it back on the table, wrapping her arms around Castle.

"I love you so much, Rick," she said, a new wave of exuberance washing over her. "So, _so _much."

"I love you too. Always."

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Hey look it's done! Sorry for saying "always" by the end of it. It's the only thing that felt appropriate, as cliché as it sounded in there. Well, okay, then. Thanks for reading it! Reviews are love. Oh God, cheers! Cheers cheers cheers! For those who stuck around, really. You guys are the best. This has been such a great experience; it really has been. Thank you so so so much. And if you're reading this, an extra thanks, because you stayed with me until the very end. x


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